For decades, farm bills have supported large-scale agriculture. But with the 2012 bill now up for debate, Jim Robbins writes, advocates say seismic shifts in the way the nation views food production may lead to new policies that tilt more toward local, sustainable agriculture.READ THE e360 REPORT

University in Montreal and the University of Minnesota estimated that yields for most crops can be increased 45 to 70 percent on lands already used for agriculture through more efficient fertilizer application and irrigation. Writing in the journal Nature, the scientists found that the deployment of best-practice farming could boost global yields of corn, wheat, and rice by 64 percent, 71 percent, and 47 percent, respectively. In some parts of the world, including the U.S., China, and Western Europe, the study found that far more fertilizer is used than necessary, with much of it ultimately washing into waterways. Through more efficient use of that fertilizer, nutrients could be made available for use in Eastern Europe and Western Africa without adversely affecting communities in the U.S. and China. Ultimately, the authors found, the world’s underperforming regions can reach 75 percent of their crop production potential while increasing global nitrogen use by only 9 percent and potassium use 34 percent. Such efficiencies, they say, will become increasingly critical as global food demand is expected to double by 2050 as a result of increased population and improved standards of living.